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Oregon State Basketball: Opponent Preview - Arizona State Sun Devils (Game 28)

The Sun Devils are a young team with a bevy of great playmakers. How will they match up with OSU?

NCAA Basketball: Stanford at Arizona State Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona State Sun Devils (19-9)

  • Head Coach: Bobby Hurley (4th Season)
  • Top Performer: Luguentz Dort (16.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG)
  • Points For: 78.1 PPG (57th)
  • Points Against: 73.3 PPG (228th)
  • Last Game/Streak: 51-79 Loss at Oregon (1L)

The Skinny

Oregon State’s final road game of the season will see them take on their rival for second place in the Pac-12, Arizona State. In the last meeting between these two teams, back in January in Tempe, the Sun Devils earned a hard fought 70-67 win.

Since then, the Sun Devils have had an odd season. They pulled off a big win over conference leaders Washington, but lost to a terrible Washington State team on the same weekend. They’ve struggled against the bottom half of the conference, with losses to Oregon and Colorado, but looked better against quality competition.

They’ve been good enough to grab a 10-6 Pac-12 record, sitting right above Oregon State’s 9-6 in the conference standings. If the Beavers can knock off ASU this weekend, they’ll be back in 2nd place.

NCAA Basketball: California at Arizona State Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Freshman Guard Luguentz Dort is leading the team in scoring, with 16.4 points per game. Dort has impressed with speed and ability to cut to the rim, and he’s one of the team’s best defenders; with 40 steals and 7 blocks this season. He’s young though, and his inexperience shows at times. Always going for the steal leaves him predictable. His shooting also needs work, and he needs a lot of support from the rest of ASU’s offense in order to perform at his best.

A lot of that support comes from Sophomore Guard Remy Martin. Martin, who impressed as a Freshman last year, has made a lot of progress in his second year. Martin is the team’s second leading scoorer, with 13 PPG, and leads the team in assists, with 135, averaging 5.2 per game.

The Sun Devils usually run three guards, and the starting rotation will likely be rounded out with Rob Edwards. Edwards sat out last season after transferring from Cleveland State, and missed a few early games with a back injury, but has slipped into the starting lineup with ease at Arizona State. He’s averaging 11.5 PPG, and 3.2 RPG.

For the front court, Senior Zylan Cheatham is the team’s biggest paint scoring threat, with 11.6 PPG. Cheatham is the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 10.5 per game. He’s no Kylor Kelley, but he’s also an effective blocker, knocking down 21 shots so far this season.

He’ll likely be joined in the starting lineup by Romello White. White looked set for a breakout season this year, but with the emergence of the Sun Devils backcourt, his role on the team has shifted. He’s still averaging 8.6 PPG, and 5.3 RPG, but rather than being a main scoring threat, his role on the team is more pulling defenders off the ball.


Player to Watch

Remy Martin (Sophomore)

NCAA Basketball: California at Arizona State Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Last year’s Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year, Martin has transformed into Arizona State’s primary playmaker. Much of that improvement has come from his ability to read defenses, allowing him to get defenders off of Cheatham in the post, or opening up a lane for Dort. Oregon State is going to need to be creative on defense to shut down ASU.


Game Info

  • Date: Sunday, March 3rd
  • Time: 5:00 PM PT
  • Location: Gill Coliseum (Corvallis, OR)
  • Coverage: ESPN Watch